Signature song

A signature song is the one song (or, in some cases, one of a few songs) that a popular and well-established recording artist or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of other songs. There have also been instances where a film actor has acquired a signature song by giving a popular vocal performance in a feature. Signature songs can be the result of spontaneous public identification, or a marketing tool developed by the music industry to promote artists, sell their recordings, and develop a fan base.[1]

Artists and bands with a signature song are often expected to perform it at every concert appearance.[2]

^Umphlett, Wiley Lee (2004). The Visual Focus of American Media Culture in the Twentieth Century: The Modern Era, 1893–1945. Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. p. 157. This practice soon began equating performers with signature songs as a way to promote and sell recordings and sheet music as well as establish a cult of fans to market these songs to.

^Prescott, John (2000). A Career in Show Business: Variety Entertainer. Chicago: Institute for Research. p. 8. And if there's a phrase ... or you have a signature song ... then your audience will probably be disappointed if you don't repeat yourself.

^Ian Inglis (2006). Performance and Popular Music: History, |Place and Time. Ashgate. p. 36. 'Try a Little Tenderness' was one of his signature tunes, an old standard that he regularly used to end his concerts.